Community Alert! Egypt Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Engineer Sherif Ismail announces the allocation of 5% of the total plots offered within twenty new cities for people living with disabilities or their primary carers.
According to Ismail, this decision aligns with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to provide care and attention to citizens living with disabilities.
Qualifying applicants may apply to reserve land through the Maskan – Land Axis website starting from 7 November to 6 January, 2025.
Individuals with disabilities or their guardians will need to disclose essential information such as name, national ID number, email, phone number, address, and integrated services card number. Applicants must also upload their national ID card and integrated services card.
After registration, applicants may choose the city where they want to reserve land and select the plot from the available options. They then make the reservation deposit and pay administrative fees using a reference number generated by the system.
Payments can be made via MasterCard, cash through Fawry Plus, or bank transfer through the Housing and Development Bank. The payment receipt must be uploaded to the website.
Allocation will be through a public lottery, with the date and location to be announced in due course.
After the application period closes, all applications will be reviewed. Eligible applicants who meet the requirements and have made the necessary payments will be notified of the date and location of the public lottery.
The 5% quota for people with disabilities (426 plots) will be allocated first, followed by the lottery for the remaining applicants for the other plots in the 8,521-land offering.
Egypt is grappling with a severe housing shortage crisis, exacerbated by rapid population growth and urbanization. With a population increasing by approximately 2% annually, the demand for affordable housing far outstrips supply. This has led to overcrowded cities, with millions of Egyptians living in settlements. The crisis is particularly acute in Cairo, where crumbling buildings and inadequate infrastructure are common.
Despite the presence of over six million vacant high-end housing units, the shortage of affordable homes persists. This disparity highlights the urgent need for low-income housing solutions. The Egyptian government has recognized the housing crisis as a critical issue, emphasizing it in their economic development plans.
“This initiative is part of Egypt’s ongoing commitment to creating inclusive housing opportunities and supporting the needs of all its citizens,” says Ismail.